RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Since the new law on autopsies was passed in 1990, the frequency of autopsy has fallen. We have carried out an analysis to illustrate the conditions/proportions for various age groups before and after the law came into force. METHOD: All the figures for deaths and autopsies during the period of 1977-1996 were reviewed. This includes the figures from the Danish Board of National Health and from the Department of Pathology at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. The frequency of autopsy was calculated for all groups, both before and after the amendment, and the results are discussed. RESULTS: The figures showed not only a significant decrease in the frequency of autopsy in almost all groups, but also a considerable decrease in the groups of the elderly as compared to the younger groups. DISCUSSION: The frequency of autopsy decreased during the period of 1977-1996. The most significant fall was seen around 1990, both in the general figures registered in connection with the cause of death and in the figures from the Department of Pathology at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. We also found that the decrease in the frequency of autopsies was greater in the groups of the elderly, when different age groups were examined. The percentage of autopsies performed on younger people has increased since the 1990 amendment.
